Christmas Cheer
by by7the7sea
Summary: Chapter 1 - Astrid tries to get John into the Christmas Spirit by taking him to see Santa. Chapter 2 - Following that visit, John decides to take Charlotte, Irene tags along. Chapter 3 - Stephen, Cara, Astrid, Russell and John get together. Chapter 4 - John and Jedikiah, need I say more?
1. Chapter 1 - Santaland

Disclaimer: The Tomorrow People is the property of the CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

**xxx TTP xxx **

Christmas wasn't a big deal to John. As a kid in foster care, he was lucky to get a tiny little gift, if anything at all. Once at Ultra, Jedikiah would get him something small, but practical. It kind of took the thrill out of it for him.

Since becoming human, John had a hard time dealing with crowds. Being able to scan people's thoughts was useful. If he came across someone who blocked him, then he knew who to watch. Telepathy had provided an extra layer of security, but now he didn't know how to read individuals. He was always too concerned with looking over his shoulder, a residual effect from being hunted for most his life.

It was especially bad around the holidays, a drawback of living in one of the busiest cities in the world. It was even busier than usual at this time because of Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and then shoppers flooding the city seeking the best gifts for their loved ones.

Taking refuge in his apartment, John studied for an opportunity to get a better job. Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. It startled him because he wasn't expecting any visitors.

"Who is it?" he said as he approached the door. He peeked at the visitor through the peep hole. "Astrid?"

Astrid had noticed John becoming more and more reclusive, refusing to leave his little apartment, except maybe late at night to go on a grocery run or to go to his part-time job.

He opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

"It's time you got out of this ..." she stated as she entered the room and looked around the tiny apartment, "... place. You're coming with me. I need help and you need to get some fresh air."

"Astrid …" John started, but she interrupted him.

"I"m not taking no as an answer," she declared. "Get your coat."

Not really in the mood to argue, he did as she suggested. He got his coat and turned off the lights.

"Let's go," John said, then forced a smile.

**xxx TTP xxx **

As Astrid paid for the last gift on her list, inspiration struck.

"We should go see Santa!" Astrid exclaimed excitedly as they left the store.

John just rolled his eyes and ignored her.

"Come on, it would be fun!"

"I think we're too old for that," John stated.

When he looked at her again and saw her eagerness and elated expression, he amended his statement.

"Well, I'm too old for that."

"I'll take that as a yes," Astrid grabbed his free hand and half-dragged him to Macy's.

**xxx TTP xxx**

When they arrived at Santaland, the line extended into the store aisles and was filled with parents and their kids. John wanted to bolt right then and there, but Astrid held on to him. It made him miss being able to teleport.

When John hesitated, Astrid grabbed his arm and said, "I promise, it will be fun."

John sighed.

"So, John, when you were little, were you scared of Santa when you went to see him?"

"I never went," John replied flatly. "Foster kids don't get taken to see Santa."

"Oh," was all Astrid could say.

"No big deal," John stated.

After a few moments, Astrid began cheerfully chatting with the kids and parents around them.

Meanwhile, John just uncomfortably stood by and wished the line would move faster until a little boy, probably 4 or 5, started playing peek-a-boo with him. The little boy, Henry, would hide behind his mom's legs then slowly peek around her. When John would move to the other side, he would follow. One time, John didn't move and when Henry peeked around, John jumped over which caused the little boy to shriek in delight and giggle gleefully. Their little game of hide and seek ended when Henry's family made it to the entrance and he got distracted by all of the decorations.

As Astrid and John arrived at the entrance, John asked the "elf" how much longer it would be.

"Just 15 minutes," the Elf cheerfully responded with a wide grin.

"Oh, boy," John groaned under his breath, but as they crossed the entrance he gradually became awed by all the brightly colored lights and numerous decorations.

At the entrance was a huge train engine. Then you entered Santaland through a train car with "windows" of various winter cityscapes. As they stepped off the train, there was a huge tree with a face on it. It was a very happy tree. Next there were some animals gathered around a couple of animatronic reindeer. The reindeer appeared to be telling a story to their fellow creatures. After that there were model trains in a multi-level set up that traveled through quaintly-decorated villages. He took special notice of the old-time 50's diner named Irene's.

John, in spite of himself, started to feel like a kid again. Then, before he realized it, they were at the actual entryway to see Santa.

Another one of "Santa's Helpers" excitedly asked, "How many to see Santa today?"

"Just the two of us," Astrid answered, then grabbed John's arm. "It's my friend's first time seeing Santa."

"Oh, really," the Elf replied conspiratorially. "Then we will have to make it extra special!"

John just rolled his eyes.

"Follow me!"

The Elf lead them down a path to a little cabin.

"Wait here," The Elf instructed then stepped inside.

Just a couple of moments later, she re-appeared.

"Santa will see you now."

John momentarily felt like bolting out of there. Surprises made him leery.

Astrid pulled him through the door and they were greeted by the Jolly Old Elf himself.

"Ho, Ho, Ho," he exclaimed, arms wide open. "Merry Christmas! I hear this is a special moment for you, young man."

"I guess you could say that." John still felt a bit strange, but slowly relaxed.

"Come on over, both of you, and have a seat. There's plenty of room." Santa warmly invited them.

John still hesitated, but Astrid ran over and sat on Santa's knee.

"I promise I won't bite," Santa encouragingly said to John.

John finally relented and took a seat next to Santa. As they sat and chatted with Kris Kringle, John's feeling of foolishness faded away.

Obviously, Astrid did most of the talking. Occasionally Santa would direct some questions to John, who genuinely started to smile by the end of their visit. This Santa was very good at his job.

At the end, all three smiled broadly for the picture. Santa had his arms around both of his visitors as John and Astrid both leaned in and grinned.

Both thanked Old St. Nick as they left and waved goodbye. As they exited the room another Elf handed each a small round pin commemorating the experience, thanked them for coming and wished them a Merry Christmas. Astrid insisted that John pin hers on her immediately. John pocketed his, but held onto the surprisingly special memento.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Astrid whispered.

"No, it wasn't that bad," John admitted, "... it was ... fun. This would be great for Charlie."

"You should bring her," Astrid encouraged.

"Maybe I will," John said thoughtfully, "... maybe I will."

When the day had started, John was no where near enjoying the holidays, but this little trip to Macy's definitely filled him with the Christmas spirit.


	2. Chapter 2 - Santaland Revisited

**Author's Note: **_Italicized text_ indicates thought (unless it's a single word in a quote then it's just for emphasis).

**xxx TTP xxx**

John had sent a message to Cara to have Charlotte meet him on the Uptown A train at Broad Street at 7 p.m. When Charlotte asked what he wanted, Cara couldn't say. John was really vague about why. The most he told Cara was that he wanted to spend some time with Charlotte and that it was supposed to be a surprise.

At first, Charlotte panicked. Surprises were not a good thing to her. On the other hand, it was John, so she was sure it wouldn't be anything bad. After getting over that initial, brief panic attack, she started to look forward to the meeting.

Since Charlotte hadn't mastered the subway system yet, she needed someone to take her. Seeing as almost everybody else was otherwise engaged, it came down to Irene or Mike. Irene quickly volunteered for the job. Cara wanted to do it, but was in the middle of a search for a recent breakout and, judging by the fading connection to said breakout, realized they had limited time to intervene.

**xxx TTP xxx**

Irene helped Charlotte find the right train to catch so they could transfer to the Uptown A to get to Broad Street. Cara had suggested that they should leave earlier than they needed to just in case they got turned around.

They made it to the rendezvous point with plenty of time to spare ... even though they did, at one point, get on a wrong train. Luckily, Irene realized it at the last minute so they were able to dash out of the car just before the doors closed.

"Whew, that was close," Irene said as she nudged her glasses back into place. "It shouldn't be long now."

A couple of minutes later the correct train pulled into the station. It was a short trip until they arrived at the Broad Street Station. Irene checked her watch.

"And it's 10 to 7, see no problem," Irene told Charlotte. They proceeded to walk to the end of the platform to wait for the next train.

As the A train pulled into the station and slowed down, they checked each car as it passed to see if they could spot John. Cara had said he would be in one of the last two cars. They didn't notice him in the second to last car, so they boarded the last one.

Initially, they didn't think he was there, either, until Charlotte spotted him at the back of the car.

"There he is," Charlotte said to Irene. "At least I think it's him."

Charlotte couldn't believe her eyes. There was John casually sitting on the subway wearing his usual boots, jeans, henley shirt and black leather jacket, but there was also a Santa hat perched on top of his head. As she was trying to figure out what was going on, he spotted her and walked over.

"Charlie!" John said as he wrapped her in a big bear hug. "So good to see you."

"Who are you and what have you done to John?" Charlotte responded, warily looking up at him but not releasing him from the hug.

John laughed and said, "What? I can't be happy to see you?"

"No .. I mean yes, you can," Charlotte said, a bit flustered. "It's just you seem ... more cheerful? What's with the hat?"

"I'm just filled with the holiday spirit," John replied with a smile. "Hi, Irene."

"Hello, John," Irene replied. "Hope you don't mind if I tag along. It's kind of crazy right now at the Refuge and I could use a break."

"I don't know," John answered. "I had planned this as an outing for Charlie, so I'll leave it up to her. Charlie?"

She silently debated the issue, then decided Irene could come along. Since the car was practically empty, they easily found seats.

The rest of the ride to their destination was filled with idle chatter; Charlotte and Irene catching up John on the latest happenings at the Refuge.

John smiled as they told him all about it, but he did feel a tinge of sorrow for his former life. He ignored it for the most part because he wanted Charlotte to have a good time. He tried to update them on what he had been doing, but could barely get a word in with Irene's excitement about finding another TP with a similar background. She feverishly filled them in on their latest debates.

As the subway came to a stop, John said, "Let's go. Charlotte, I want you to meet somebody."

It was the 34th Street Station and it was packed. John maneuvered Charlotte and Irene through the crowd to the exit. Charlotte was holding onto John's hand just a bit tighter. She was not comfortable around so many people. Finally they ascended the stairs and, as it turns out, they were right by Macy's. It was later in the evening, so it was busy, but not as busy as during prime business or shopping hours. Also being there at a later time meant the sun had set, so all the decorations shone brightly.

Walking to Macy's entrance, they passed groups of people gathering around some of the windows. Curiosity getting the best of Charlotte, she pulled John over to see what the fuss was about. There in the windows along 34th Street was the tale of "Yes, Viriginia, There is a Santa Claus."

"Oh, look at that! It's a story," Charlotte excitedly exclaimed and ran over to the closest window. "Wait, this is the end, let's start at the beginning."

She grabbed John's and Irene's hands to pull them along with her to the beginning of the story. As they passed each window, John couldn't help but enjoy Charlotte's enthusiasm. It was such a great contrast to see her eyes opened wide in awe than conveying the fear she had when they first rescued her.

"_She's come a long way_," he thought.

When they reached the end of the story, they overheard a few people talking about another story in the windows just around the corner on the other side of the building. Irene and Charlotte both looked at John with pleading, "puppy dog" eyes. Of course he agreed and they moved to the next set of windows.

While Charlotte again enjoyed the story, Irene took a particular interest in this one. The story was about a little boy who took a fantastical trip with Santa across the Solar System to see how other planets celebrated the holiday. One moment Irene would totally be into the story, then every so often get pulled out of it for what seemed to be a little nitpick, just to be swept back into the story again. It was like watching Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde. John just watched her and laughed.

"Okay, now it's time for the real reason I brought you here," John said and led them into Macy's.

He guided them to the elevators and as they were waiting for the next one, it dawned on Charlotte what was happening.

"Are you taking me to see Santa?" Charlotte questioned suspiciously.

"Yes, I am," John stated as he watched for the elevator to arrive.

"I'm too old for that," Charlotte declared.

"Says the girl who just freaked out at the storybook windows," John teased, then asserted, "no, you're not ... trust me."

"Santa? I love Santa," Irene chimed in, surprising everyone. "What? Yes, I know academically, he's not real, but I always get swept up in the lights and music."

Arriving at Santaland in the evening meant there was hardly a line at all. They were practically the last people there, which meant they could really take their time. Charlotte viewed all the decorations with wide-eyed wonder. She stopped to truly appreciate the deer with the forest creatures.

"What are they doing?" Charlotte wondered.

"What do _you_ think they are doing?" John responded, encouraging Charlotte to use her imagination.

"Well, hmmm," she started slowly. "I guess … it kind of looks like the deer …"

"Reindeer," Irene corrected.

"The reindeer are telling a story to the other animals."

"Yeah, it does kind of look like that," John said. "What kind of story?"

Charlotte then went on to animatedly describe the tale of the reindeer helping Santa through a particularly rough journey. John just stood and watched as Charlie in some ways recaptured her youthful innocence.

Noticing John staring at her, Charlotte asked, "What?"

"Nothing," John said, trying to play it off. "It's just good to see you acting like a kid."

Moving on to the next display, they spent almost a whole ten minutes watching the trains. They would also pick out each building in the village, discussing their favorite decorations. Irene idly wondered where she could get one of those little Irene's diners.

Finally tearing themselves away from the little village, they arrived at the entrance to see Santa.

"How many to see Santa?" The elf gleefully asked.

John looked around and didn't see anybody else in line.

"That would be three," John said with a tinge of sarcasm.

"Right this way," the elf replied.

As they walked the path to see Santa, Charlotte enthusiasm grew. She surprised herself with how anxious she actually was to see the Jolly Old Elf. She was sure she was too old for something like this.

Irene was practically skipping, while she hummed along with the carols that were playing throughout the area.

John coolly followed the two girls, grinning at the sight of Irene being more childlike than Charlotte.

Arriving at the door, Charlotte quickly came back to John and grabbed his hand.

"Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas," Santa joyfully greeted the group. "Wait, I believe we have a return visitor ... and he brought more friends."

John was surprised to get the same Santa he and Astrid saw the other day and that the man remembered him.

"Yes, this is Charlie's first time visiting Santa."

"Well, well, well, another first-timer," Santa said as he smiled warmly at Charlotte. "Come and tell me all that you want for Christmas."

Irene just stood at the side grinning, until Charlotte sat on Santa's knee then she ran over and sat next to him.

Again, this was a very good Santa. He seemed to sense the darkness in Charlotte's past and was very kind and gentle with her. Asking her questions, but not being too imposing.

After their little chat, Santa asked, "Charlotte, what would you like for Christmas?"

As she thought about it, she realized she really didn't know what she wanted. Then she had an idea.

"I'd like ..." she started, struggling to find the right words, "... something that was taken from a friend returned."

John, suspecting what she was asking, felt a bit self-conscious. "Now, Charlie ... I'm sure there is some...," he started but was interrupted by Santa.

"Hmmm ..." Santa replied thoughtfully, "I'll see what I can do."

John did a double take. Charlotte grinned and hugged Santa. Even though, he didn't promise anything, she was thrilled to hear that he would try. She then jumped off his lap and ran over to John. Smiling up at him, she wrapped her arms around his waist. He put his hand on her back.

Next it was Irene's turn with Old St. Nick. They discussed the "physics" of flying reindeer and traveling the world in just one night and ended on the topic of how he fits down chimneys and what he does with homes that don't have one.

Just before they left, all three sat down with Santa to get their picture taken. Charlotte and Irene sat on Santa's lap, while John sat beside Santa next to Charlotte.

They finished their visit, received their pins, then left the store and headed back to the subway station. As they stood on the platform waiting for the train, Charlotte, who had been so happy with their time together, started to realize that they would be parting ways soon. She wrapped her arms around John.

"I don't want to go back," she told him as she buried her head in his chest. "I want to stay with you."

"That's not possible," John said as he shook his head and held her.

"Then come back with us," Charlotte pleaded, taking a step back to look up at him. "There's plenty of room at the Refuge."

John closed his eyes momentarily. He would love to re-join the group, but it was just too hard being human around all those TPs. He wished he knew how to make that clear to her. He knelt down to look her in the eyes.

"It's complicated, but I can't be there ... yet," John explained. "The best place for you is with Irene, Cara, Stephen and all the others.

"Tell you what, let's get together once a week and do whatever you want. How does that sound?"

Charlotte considered that for a moment then shook her head. "Not enough. Twice a week?"

"Hmmm ..." John said as he pretended to consider the counteroffer. "Okay, we can do that."

"Yes!" Charlotte shouted then hugged him again.

Irene and Charlotte's train arrived. He received one last hug from Charlotte before she and Irene stepped onto the train. Charlotte stayed by the window waving goodbye to John.

He smiled and waved back as the train pulled out of the station. The outing was a success. He'd never seen Charlotte so happy and having so much fun. That had been his main goal ... to give her something fun that would make her feel like a kid again. He held on to that memory.

**Author's Note:** This one-shot has gotten out of hand. It's looking like it will be at least one more chapter, maybe two.


	3. Chapter 3 - Christmas Eve

**Author's Note: **~ "text" ~ indicates telepathy

**xxx TTP xxx**

It was the day before Christmas and Stephen couldn't find Cara. For the past few days, he had noticed she seemed to be avoiding people and keeping to herself more and more. Since she wasn't responding to his mental inquiries, he searched for her and found her at the Lair. She was sitting on the steps in the training room. He thought she might have been crying.

"Hey," Stephen said as he slowly approached her. "What's with the disappearing act?"

"Oh, nothing," Cara responded as she quickly wiped her eyes. "Just needed some alone time."

She tried to smile at him, but failed miserably. Stephen came over and gave her a hug.

"Okay, what's wrong?"

"Just remembering the past ... what we would do this time of year. I know he's not dead," Cara said as the tears started to slowly fall again. "He's alive and that's what matters, but ... it still feels like he's ... gone."

Stephen didn't need to read her mind to know who she was talking about ... John. He closed his eyes and hoped he could find the right words to comfort her.

"Why don't you go visit him? It would probably help to see him," Stephen finally suggested.

"No, I don't have time," Cara replied. "I really should get back and help with the preparations for tomorrow's party."

"But you have time to hide out in the Lair?"

"Well, it was only going to be for a few moments then I was going right back," she said as she checked the time. "I guess time got away from me."

Cara stood up and said, "I really need to get back." She then teleported out of there before Stephen could say another word.

He stayed behind mulling over the situation and concocted a plan. He was going to need some help, but was sure he would be able to find it.

Tomorrow's party was for the whole of the Refuge ... the former Lair people and all of the new ones. Tonight he was going to make it special for the core group. He wanted a Happy Holidays for everybody, plus they needed the time to re-connect. Ever since the Founder was defeated and the influx of Tomorrow People, he hadn't had much time for the ones that were there at the beginning of it all, which wasn't even a year ago. He couldn't believe how much has happened in that short amount of time.

**xxx TTP xxx**

Stephen only had a couple of hours to make arrangements. Luckily, he was able to get Russell and Astrid to help. Within the hour, the three had met up at the Noodle Shop to have a quick planning session.

Russell would handle food and decorations (if needed), while Stephen found the location and helped Astrid get the right people at the right place at the right time.

**xxx TTP xxx**

Dashing home, Stephen found his mother and brother talking at the counter.

"Hey," Stephen said, trying to be casual but there was urgency in his voice. "What are you guys doing?"

"Nothing," Luca responded.

"Trying to decide our plans for the night," Marla replied. "Wrap gifts or bake cookies?"

"Could you maybe make other plans, so I could use the house for an impromptu party?" Stephen decided it would be best to just tell them the truth. "Why don't you go see the Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall or check out the decorated windows? Just take a couple of hours and be somewhere else."

Luca's eyes brightened at the prospect of watching the world-renown Rockettes. "Yeah, Mom," he said. "Let's go to the show!"

"How many are coming to this party?" Marla directed the question to Stephen, ignoring Luca's enthusiastic comment.

"Just Astrid, Cara, Russell and John," Stephen replied. He thought about it a moment longer then said, "yeah just them. Ever since everything that happened with Dad and the Founder, it's been crazy and we haven't had time to just hang out."

"Okay," Marla consented. "Just don't let it get out of hand. We'll be back by 8. Have fun."

"Thank you, Mom," Stephen said as he gave her a peck on the cheek then turned and teleported out of the house.

**xxx TTP xxx**

Stephen met up with Russell to help in acquiring some more decorations and the food. There was already a tree up and a few other decorations, but they thought a few more lights would add to the ambience. They then parted ways again so Stephen could work on freeing up Cara and Russell could acquire a few more lights.

~ "Man, lights are just not easy to get at this time of year" ~ Russell complained to Stephen after about an hour and not having much luck. ~ "Too many people around to use the 'no-finger' discount." ~

~ "Here's a crazy idea ... what about the D chips?" ~ Stephen suggested.

~ "D chips? Really?" ~ Russell sent.

~ "Well, they light up and we wouldn't need to use our powers" ~ Stephen explained. ~ "Those would make it a human party, which wouldn't be all that bad considering ..." ~

~ "Considering John is human now" ~ Russell finished. ~ "Sure, let's do it." ~

**xxx TTP xxx**

Since it was Christmas Eve, John didn't have to work. He had the day off and wouldn't need to be back to work until the 26th. He really didn't know what to do with the time off. While he had some plans for tomorrow, today was wide open and the loneliness set in.

This was the first time in years that he was truly alone. In foster care, there were usually a couple of other kids. At Ultra, there was Jedikiah and the other recruits. In the Lair, he had his Tomorrow People family. Today, he was a bit lost.

Thinking about the Tomorrow People usually led him to thinking about Cara and he didn't want to go down that road right now. Instead, John tried to focus on the recent memories of going to Santaland with Astrid and then taking Charlotte and Irene.

He had just started tinkering with a toaster he was fixing for a neighbor when there was a knock at the door.

Thinking it was his neighbor checking on his progress, he walked over to the door saying, "yes, Mrs. Johnson, I'll have your toaster fixed today."

He opened the door and it wasn't Mrs. Johnson.

"Astrid?" He was startled to see her. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd see what you were doing," she replied with a smile.

There was something in her voice that made John suspicious. "Well, I was going to work on this toaster, then go grab a bite for dinner."

"Good, you're not busy then," Astrid stated. "Grab your coat and come with me."

"And where are we going?"

"Well, my parents are at a Christmas party, Stephen was busy with his family, so I thought we could spend some time together ... you're by yourself and so am I, so let's go."

John couldn't dispute that logic, so he tossed the screwdriver on the table next to the various parts of a dismantled toaster and grabbed his jacket.

Passing Mrs. Johnson in the hall, he let her know he might not get her toaster fixed today. She was very understanding and told him to not worry about. She wished them a Merry Christmas and waved goodbye as they left.

While they were discussing where to go, Astrid's cell phone went off.

She dug it out of her pocket and answered, "hello? ... Oh, hi, Stephen ... yes ... sure ... I'll be right over.

"Stephen needs me to pick up ... something, so I hope you don't mind if we swing by his place."

"No, but I thought he was busy with family," John responded.

"Oh, he is, but he just found something of mine that I needed. It shouldn't take long."

John's suspicions increased, but he was grateful for the company so he let it go.

**xxx TTP xxx**

Arriving at the Refuge, Stephen quickly found Cara and ran up to her.

"Come on, Cara," he said, partially out of breath. "There's an emergency."

"What kind of emergency?" Cara grabbed Stephen to support him.

"No time to talk ... explain when we get there ... let's go."

He grabbed her and teleported them both out of there and to his house. They landed in the living room where Russell was already helping himself to some Christmas cookies. Just as he took a big bite, he noticed Cara and Stephen. He just nodded and waved at them then walked over and got comfortable on the couch.

Once Cara realized what had happened ... well, let's just say it was a good thing that their powers didn't include looks that could kill.

"Stephen, what's going on?" The deadly serious tone of her voice made Stephen come clean very quick.

"Sorry, but I had to get you out of there and couldn't think of anything better," he responded meekly. "The others have it covered and we need this short break. We haven't had a moment to just get together and hang out."

"Yeah, this was long overdue," Russell piped in from the couch.

**xxx TTP xxx **

"This shouldn't take too long, John," Astrid said as they arrived at Stephen's and she started up the stairs.

"I'll just wait here for you," John told her. He had stopped at the foot of the stairs and turned to watch traffic. Something made him uneasy about being there. It had been awhile since the Founder had been defeated and everybody had been figuring out their new roles - Stephen and Cara leading all of the new Tomorrow People and John settling into his human life.

"Come on, just say hi," Astrid encouraged. "Really, it won't take but just a moment."

"No, I'm good," John said, keeping his focus on the passersby.

Astrid rolled her eyes in frustration at John's stubbornness then turned and rang the doorbell.

**xxx TTP xxx**

"So, it's just the three of us here?" Cara looked around.

"Not exactly," Stephen replied as the door bell rang. "Russell, take care of the _extra_ decorations."

Russell raced around the room and activated all of the D chips, while Stephen went to answer the door. Cara, dumbfounded, just stood and watched the scene unfold. She still had an uneasy feeling about what exactly was happening.

**xxx TTP xxx**

Stephen opened the door and greeted his friend with a huge smile then a look of confusion as he noticed someone missing.

"Where's John?" Stephen said.

"Oh, he decided to wait down there," Astrid responded as she motioned to the bottom of the stairs.

"Ah," Stephen replied then whispered to her. "I'll take care of this."

"Hey, John, good to see you," Stephen called down to the strong-willed man.

"Hi, Stephen," John said as he quickly turned and nodded at him.

"Why don't you come in and have some Christmas cookies," Stephen asked.

"I'm fine," John replied.

"John, get in here out of the cold." Stephen ordered.

John sighed and hesitated, then finally relented. He was cold.

**xxx TTP xxx **

Finally finding her voice, Cara started to ask, "Why are there ..."

The words died in her throat as Astrid walked in. Then the reason hit her. She barely had a moment to process that when John stepped through the door.

"John!" Cara rushed over and wrapped her arms around him. The action momentarily startled him, but he eventually returned the hug. "It's so good to see you," Cara said, although it was slightly muffled as it was said into his chest.

"It's good to see you, too," John responded, returning the hug then glanced up to see Russell.

"Hey, buddy!" Russell said as he came over and made it a group hug.

Until that moment, John hadn't realized how much seeing them would mean to him. He had avoided them because he thought it would be too painful, but, here and now, it was just good to be with his closest companions from the past few years.

Astrid and Stephen just stood to the side and let the other three have their moment. It was one of the main reasons for the party. Astrid may have shed a tear or two at the sight.

As the trio slowly broke apart, John noticed the unique lighting.

"What's with the D..." he started to say, pointing to them, but was interrupted.

"What? Are you criticizing my superb decorating skills?" Russell interrupted. "They add just the right glow ... there's a ... simplicity to them."

John smiled. "Yeah, I see what you mean. They're perfect."

Stephen couldn't take it anymore and broke up the little reunion.

"Okay, this is supposed to be a party," he said. "Let's get it started!"

Astrid sighed and shook her head then walked over and turned on some music. Russell took another trip to the food table to grab a couple of slices of pizza and a few more cookies.

John walked over to Astrid. "You knew about this, didn't you? You probably helped plan it too?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said innocently while surveying the area.

John leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you."

"Really, what are you going on about?" She finally looked him in the eyes. "You're welcome."

They smiled at each other then Stephen came over, put his arms around them and guided them over to the others.

"Okay, tonight is about relaxing and having fun," Stephen told the group. "No talk about recent events.

"Who wants to play a game?"

The night was filled with games, dancing and laughter. Even when Marla and Luca returned home at 8, the party continued for a couple more hours with the two of them joining in the fun.

"Stephen, you were right," Cara whispered to him at one point. "It does help just seeing him. I really needed this. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Cara," Stephen replied with a smile and put his arm around her. "Merry Christmas."

At the end of the night, John shook Stephen's hand and said, "thank you, Stephen. You didn't have to include the D chips, but the gesture was appreciated."

"Just trying to level the playing field," Stephen replied. "You're welcome, John, and Merry Christmas!"


	4. Chapter 4 - Christmas Day

**Author's Notes: ** For the purposes of this story, let's just say the Founder was defeated the week before Christmas, so John and Jedikiah's first scene (the hug) in the finale has happened and influences how Jedikiah is portrayed in this. Also, "_Italicized text"_ indicates thoughts.

**xxx TTP xxx**

Christmas morning, John slept in. He couldn't remember the last time he was able to do that. There was always too much on his mind - struggling to survive will do that to a person - to let him just sleep as long as he could.

When he finally woke up, he was feeling pretty good, which was a bit of a Christmas miracle in and of itself. It was the best sleep he had had in years. He was pretty sure the lingering good feeling from the party last night contributed to the sound sleep.

Then he looked at the clock.

"12:30? Oh, man, I'm going to be late," John said as he jumped out of bed and hurried to get dressed. He briefly longed to be able to teleport again, but quickly pushed that thought out of his head.

Going over the day's plans, some anxiety set in. He was going to Jedikiah's for Christmas. How was it that just months ago, they were mortal enemies, now he's going to be spending Christmas with the man? My, how the times have changed.

**xxx TTP xxx**

As soon as he was dressed, John ran out of his apartment and headed to the subway. It wasn't as busy as he thought it would be. "_Guess most people are already at their destinations,_" he mused.

During the ride, he thought back to last night's party. It was good spending time with the "old gang" once more and he'd had a lot of fun. It wasn't as hard as he thought it would be to be around them. Of course, the D chips might have helped with that. He made a vow to keep in touch with Cara and Russell, maybe even one day meeting the new Tomorrow People. He chuckled at the idea of becoming pen-pals with Cara ... going from one extreme form of communication to the other.

Lost in thought, John almost missed his stop. He grabbed the doors just before they closed and dashed off the train.

**xxx TTP xxx**

Arriving at Jedikiah's, he hesitated. It felt so weird to be willingly going to meet with the man. He also wasn't sure if he should knock or ring the doorbell. He knew he wasn't going to enter the way he did last time ... by breaking in the door.

Just as he moved his hand toward the door, it opened. John was shocked to see Jedikiah in a casual outfit. Was he really wearing jeans and a hoodie?

"John! You're here," Jedikiah greeted him then stepped back and welcomed him into his home. "Come in, make yourself comfortable."

As the young man entered the apartment, he noticed it was minimally decorated for the holidays. There was a small artificial tree in one corner with a couple of gifts under it. A few white lights around the windows. On the coffee table was a yule log with a few older ornaments elegantly displayed around it. John thought he recognized those as some of the Price family heirlooms.

"Sorry, I'm late, Jed. I actually overslept this morning," John said.

"Don't worry about it. It's been a rough year, so I'm just glad you could make it."

Jedikiah was happy about it. Morgan was spending the holiday reconnecting with her family, so he was going to be alone otherwise. Since losing Roger, John was the only family left with whom he could spend the day. Sure there was Stephen, Luca and Marla, but they just reminded him of his brother. With John, he could focus on making amends and distract himself from the loss.

"Were you going somewhere?" John pointed to the keys in Jedikiah's hand.

"I was going to run down to the corner store for something," Jedikiah replied then threw the keys on the side table. "But since you're here now, I won't worry about it.

"Actually, I have something for you," Jedikiah said as he rushed over to the tree to grab the gift.

"But I didn't get you anything," John protested. "I thought we were just going to eat and watch the game."

"Don't worry about it, plus I wanted to." Jedikiah handed the package to John. "Merry Christmas."

John tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box.

"You're giving it back to me?" John looked up. "I thought it was bad luck ... severs relationships and all that?"

"There is no such thing as luck. Besides, I want you to have it. It is rightfully yours."

"Thanks," John said as he took the pocketknife out of the case and turned it around, examining it. Truthfully, he was glad to get it back.

Jedikiah walked into the kitchen to check on the meal and John followed.

"So, what did you make?" John asked as he sniffed the air, trying to guess from the many aromas filling the kitchen.

"Felt like going a bit traditional this year," Jedikiah explained as he checked everything in the ovens, "so made some ham and turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, ..."

"It's just the two of us, right?" John interrupted then went over to the stove top, stirred the gravy and checked the corn. "Looks like you're going to feed an army."

"Any leftovers you can take home," Jedikiah stated.

"I do know how to cook, remember? You insisted I learn the basics," John said. "You didn't want me relying on anybody or anything."

"Just giving you the basic tools for survival," Jedikiah responded. "Do you remember the first thing I taught you to cook?"

"Of course I do ... french toast," John stated then added, "... mine's better."

Jedikiah stopped what he was doing to look at John. "Oh really?"

"Yep, picked up a new trick that makes all the difference," John replied as he tasted the gravy. "Hmmm, needs a dash of salt."

Jedikiah came over and tasted it. "It's fine."

When John turned his back, Jedikiah grabbed the salt, gave it two shakes into the gravy then replaced the shaker before John noticed.

"That should do it," Jedikiah said. "Let's dish it up, then we can eat."

As they sat down and looked at all the food spread out on the table, Jedikiah relented, "Okay, maybe I over did it."

John laughed and said, "just a little bit."

After a couple of bites, John tasted the difference in the gravy. He looked at Jedikiah.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," John replied and smiled then continued eating his meal.

**xxx TTP xxx**

Once the table had been cleared, they adjourned to the living room to catch the game.

There was some small talk during commercials where Jedikiah asked John how he was doing. John told him about the trouble he had finding a job, but added how he was working toward improving his chances of getting a better one. He had found a certification course he could take, which would open up a few more doors for him.

At that point, Jedikiah lost interest in the game. He knew John's strengths and didn't like seeing him struggle. He started to consider what he could do to help him out. Of course, Jedikiah being Jedikiah, he had some plans in the works, but nothing he couldn't adjust to accommodate a slight change.

As the final seconds ticked down and the game ended, John stood up and stretched.

"That was a pretty good game. I was sure they were going to pull it out once they got the ball again toward the end there." John faced Jedikiah. "I really should get going. Gotta get up early for work tomorrow. Thank you for the invite. I had a good time."

"It wasn't as bad as you thought it would be, right?" Jedikiah put his arm around John's shoulders and gave a little squeeze.

"I had my doubts," John admitted as they headed for the door.

"I'll keep in touch," Jedikiah said, "and let you know of any opportunities that I find."

John walked through the door then turned around.

"They say you can't go home again," John said then looked at Jedikiah, "... maybe you can go back."

"Yes, you can, son," Jedikiah said as he stepped forward and hugged John. "Yes, you can."

Jedikiah watched the young man leave then went back into his apartment. John's words lingered in his mind, "_maybe you can go back_."

"Go back … to what you were before …"

Inspiration struck and he berated himself for not realizing it sooner. He then clapped his hands together and said, "I've got work to do."

**xxx The End xxx **

"**Behind-The-Scene****" ****Tidbit** - John's job is at a little Mom-and-Pop Fix-it shop.

**Author's Note:** Now that I've finished this story and writing happy John (which I had promised to do to make it up to those who read Sitting Duck), back to torturing him in my other story. ;) lol You only hurt the ones you love, right? (Well, it's really more angst than torture.) Then again, I may try to write another happier piece, if/when inspired. Hope everyone has a Prosperous and Safe 2015! Happy New Year!


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